We need to act now

THE destruction attributed to the paranormal belief in sanguma or sorcery is reaching epidemic proportions around the country. This belief has hurled this country back into the dark ages. It is a symptom of lack of knowledge. It is a direct challenge to the educated elite, all professing Christians, the medical profession and the law-and-justice system. We as a country now boast professors, academics, lawyers, and a host of other professions. This belief is sanguma alone has weaved its way around the system to become “resistant” to modern ideologies. In this 22nd century, educated elites should have a solid understanding of the origins of diseases, including the germ theory. The health system is failing when it is not able to diagnose and cure treatable conditions in this age of increased medical knowledge and technology. Today it seems the entire health system is under threat from a counterpart system run by witchdoctors and ‘glasman’. A trend has developed today in health institutions where a difficult to diagnose and treat medical condition is referred to as a ‘sick bilong peles’ (disease originating from the villages). ‘Sick bilong peles’ is a prognosis that belonged in the medieval times. It should be outlawed in our health system since it only gives licence for witch-hunting. I have interviewed hundreds of witch-hunters who believe the problem is spiritual and they are achieving nothing by killing and torturing suspected sorcerers. I believe the Government and Church partners can build defensive programmess based on that admission of the witch-hunters. Despite the argument that the belief lacks material substance, the frequency of reported physical mayhem on sanguma suspects is hard to ignore. That is why we as nation in the 22nd century need to act now. Sorcery, being a spiritual matter, needs a spiritual solution. Given the magnitude it has reached so far, it is fair to say that all Christians as well as the civilised citizens have been sleeping. Finally, any effective counter-measure to the effects of this damning belief has to match the kind of financial, political and cross-sectoral approach that was accorded to epidemics such as HIV, TB, etc. Otherwise, in the next few years’ time, witch-hunting will become standard and an accepted practice out-of-bounds from the law.